Beaver Trilogy
Our story begins in 1979, with a chance meeting in a Salt Lake City parking lot where filmmaker Trent Harris is approached by an earnest small-town dreamer from Beaver, Utah. Harris jumps at the chance when the young man invites him to come to the small town to film a talent show. At the show, the man dons a blond wig and performs in drag as Olivia Newton John. Harris captures it all on tape: A portrait of a true outsider. Harris shot a dramatic piece, "Beaver Kid 2" based on the documentary; This interpretation of the story, made in 1981 on a home video camera with a budget of $100, features a young Sean Penn as "the Beaver Kid". Still possessed, Harris then rewrote the script, cast up-and-comer Crispin Glover in the lead, and created the final segment, "The Orkly Kid", with funding from the American Film Institute. The trilogy unveils the inner world of a fantastic character in three incarnations.
Insights
Plot Summary
The Beaver Trilogy is a mockumentary that presents three separate stories, all set in or around Beaver, Utah. The first segment follows a young, aspiring rock star named Grody who dreams of making it big. The second features a man who becomes obsessed with a local beauty queen and believes he can communicate with the dead. The third part is a retelling of the first story from a different perspective, highlighting the bizarre and often tragic nature of ambition and small-town life.
Critical Reception
The Beaver Trilogy garnered a cult following for its quirky, darkly humorous, and surreal take on ambition and delusion in small-town America. While not a mainstream hit, it was praised by critics for its originality and the unsettling yet compelling performances of its cast.
What Reviewers Say
- A bizarre and darkly humorous exploration of small-town dreams and delusions.
- Features standout, eccentric performances from its cast.
- Offers a unique and unsettling mockumentary style.
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Fun Fact
The film is divided into three distinct parts, each exploring a different story with a loose connection to the fictional town of Beaver, Utah, and the concept of ambition.
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